sufficiently costly

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "sufficiently costly" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to describe something that has a high enough cost to be considered significant or impactful. Example: "The project was deemed sufficiently costly to warrant a thorough review before proceeding."

✓ Grammatically correct

Academia

News & Media

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

5 human-written examples

This embargo discourages third parties from dealing with the sovereign and, if sufficiently costly, can induce the sovereign to comply.

Yale University

Simply put, the Philippine courts have not made it sufficiently costly for it to maintain non-seaworthy vessels.

The Guardian - Opinion

He added, "And there is no doubt in my mind that energy, which tends to cut across all aspects of this economy, if it gets sufficiently costly, could have materially negative effects".

The New York Times

Whether these components were maintained to protect against feather bacteria that may enter the body or not sufficiently costly to be traded-off with preen secretion requires further study.

BMC Evolutionary Biology

Studying dynamic aspects of protein structure using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, for example, is still sufficiently costly and time consuming as to prevent its use in the same scale as X-ray crystallography.

Bioinformatics

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

55 human-written examples

Both seek to strike a balance between safety and injury costs by avoiding only those injuries whose harm is sufficiently great to justify costly avoidance.

Harvard University

With a lack of aspiration, immigrants will not be sufficiently motivated to undertake costly integration efforts, even when there are opportunities available to do so.

Comparative Migration Studies

While making a small effort may plausibly be pleasant if the effort level is low, it is surely emotionally costly for sufficiently high effort levels.

Plosone

However, they are computationally costly and not sufficiently robust to analyze high-dimensional traits.

Genetics

But family members still expressed concerns that the design was costly, undignified and not sufficiently durable.

The New York Times - Arts

If experimental work is costly, the surrogates may sufficiently accurate to interest experimentalists.

Applied Mathematics and Computation

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "sufficiently costly", ensure the context clearly establishes what the cost is relative to. For example, "The security measures were sufficiently costly to deter most intruders."

Common error

Avoid using "sufficiently costly" without providing a reference point. Instead of saying, "The project was sufficiently costly", specify what makes it so, such as, "The project was sufficiently costly, exceeding the initial budget by 40%."

Linguistic Context

The phrase "sufficiently costly" functions as an adverb-adjective combination, modifying a noun or action to indicate a significant level of expense. Ludwig AI confirms its validity. The examples illustrate how it denotes a cost high enough to influence decisions or outcomes.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

Science

33%

News & Media

33%

Academia

33%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Formal & Business

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "sufficiently costly" is a grammatically correct adverb-adjective phrase used to describe something expensive enough to have a noteworthy impact. According to Ludwig AI, the phrase is usable in written English. It's most often found in scientific, academic, and news-related contexts, indicating a neutral to formal register. When using this phrase, it's important to provide context to clarify the reference point for the cost. While other similar phrases exist, such as "prohibitively expensive", "sufficiently costly" carries a distinct nuance, implying the cost reaches a significant threshold.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

prohibitively expensive

Emphasizes the cost as being so high as to prevent purchase or action.

unacceptably expensive

Focuses on the cost exceeding what is deemed reasonable or justifiable.

excessively priced

Highlights the cost as being beyond a normal or acceptable level.

unreasonably high cost

Directly states the cost is not justified or fair.

financially prohibitive

Indicates the cost makes the action impossible due to financial constraints.

economically unfeasible

Focuses on the cost making the venture or action impractical from an economic standpoint.

too expensive to justify

Highlights that the benefits do not outweigh the high cost.

costly to a fault

Implies that the cost is excessively high and detrimental.

astronomically priced

Emphasizes the price as being extremely high, almost beyond comprehension.

overly burdensome financially

Stresses the high cost as creating a significant financial strain or hardship.

FAQs

How can I use "sufficiently costly" in a sentence?

You can use "sufficiently costly" to describe something whose price or expense is high enough to have a significant effect or deter action. For example, "The repairs were "sufficiently costly" that they decided to move instead".

What are some alternatives to "sufficiently costly"?

Alternatives to "sufficiently costly" include "prohibitively expensive", "unacceptably expensive", or "excessively priced". The best choice depends on the specific nuance you want to convey.

Is it redundant to say "sufficiently costly"?

While "sufficiently costly" may seem somewhat formal, it isn't necessarily redundant. It emphasizes that the cost is not just high, but high enough to meet a certain threshold or have a specific impact. Consider if a simpler term like "expensive" would suffice, or if the nuance of "sufficiently" adds value.

What is the difference between "sufficiently costly" and "very expensive"?

"Very expensive" simply indicates a high price. "Sufficiently costly" implies that the high price has a consequential effect or reaches a particular level of significance. The nuance lies in the consequence or impact of the cost.